Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Intent in Martial Arts

There is a saying in the internal arts
that one ‘follows the line of intent’, this is the process of moving in
accordance with our will to act using the Intent as the link between the
mind and the motion. But there is more to this concept than simply
following how we would like to move.

Moving along the lines of intent is a concept that is, at its
core, related to efficiency. It is the pure and unwavering action, the
movement that is not diffused with other thoughts or considerations.
Often I would hear one of my teachers say ‘don’t think, just go!’ when
my movement would be sluggish, disjointed or inefficient.

As we have discovered in other articles, movement is formed at
the level of the brain. The root of movement is not in the final action
observed by others; this is merely the result. If we look at movement as
if the physical action is the beginning and end of the story, it would
be a bit like thinking a tree grows from its leaves first.

But the movement does happen, and how it happens, with what
level of efficiency is of the utmost importance to the internal arts
practitioner (and probably any movement artist). In the internal arts
there is a deep introspection and focus on how the movements follow the
will to act. We see the disciples of the many styles agonizing over
their alignments and connections, looking to squeeze every last bit of
efficiency out of their motion.

Correct alignment, connection and conditioning are all
pre-requisites when looking at our ability to move in accordance with
the directions of our intent. But there are ways to work on our movement
capability at the level of Intent itself. These techniques use a
combination of visualization, strong will to move and clear mental
focus. Of course, when fighting the various systems work in harmony, but
whether it be the conditioned response or the conscious decision to
move, it is in training of the intent where one of the Keys reside.
Correct training of the intent can increase our ‘signal strength’ and
increase power dramatically in the motions.